Volume 8, The Ocho.
Wooosh, what a year this month has been. Sometimes life comes at you fast! Two beautiful weddings, a tough funeral, and a bachelor party in a wild on-field suite certainly qualifies as a full plate. Through it all, some incredible opportunities have presented themselves and I’m grateful to be keeping this agency thing rolling.
Looking ahead, I’ll be hosting something I’m really excited about—a Portrait Day featuring the incredible Everett Bouwer aka Ill Gander. If you’re in LA next Saturday (10/12) and want some beautiful free photos of yourself, send me a note and I’ll shoot you the deets!
With all this momentum I might finally be able to purchase the Supreme weight bench of my dreams. Wouldn’t that just be something!?
- L11
Main Event 🎡
Sheron Barber x USA Men’s Olympic Basketball
One of my favorite parts of what I do is getting to meet artisans and creators who have a passion for quality—in whatever context that may apply to. One of my clients, Riri Zippers, frequently opens those doors because if you’re paying 4x the normal cost for a zipper, you care about quality in special way! You are my people!
All that leads me to Sheron Barber, a gentlemen I met through Riri around 2017. We’ve stayed in touch over the years and when he reached out in March about making bags for the USA Men’s Olympic Basketball team, I was thrilled to be able to help. With Riri contributing their beautiful gold zippers I was also able to involve another client, Endstate, providing elegant NFC chipped metal cards—containing unique messages bespoke for each player.
This project wasn’t without its many challenges and delays which, looking back, only make the final product that much sweeter. A launch that was intended to coincide with the games ended getting pushed back after Lebron James’ Uninterrupted got involved to help sponsor the project. In the end this endeavor reminded me that:
Great things take time.
People just see the final product, not what happens behind the scenes.
The best is yet to come!
Overall I’m proud to have been a part of this one and appreciate the quality that this project stands for in the L11 portfolio.
A Restaurant to Consider 🍜
COQADAQ (NY)
Sometimes it’s fun to eat at a restaurant that’s just a total cluckin’ experience. Front to back. That’s exactly what you’ll find at COQODAQ, an eatery that looks more like a casino in Macao than a fried chicken haven in New York’s Flatiron district.
Opened by the team from COTE, I was lucky to dine there earlier this year with L11 client TILIT, that outfits all the tasteful staff uniforms and aprons.
The food was obviously excellent, I mean just look at that chicken below. They had all the fixings, sauces and vibes. A 10/10 experience with Bobby Flay himself sitting behind us. Mama mia!
The real story though, are the sinks when you walk in adorned with every soap you can think of to pre-wash those dirty New York hands. I went with the LOEWE. No regrets.
A Store to Check Out 🛍️
Ghiaia (LA)
The best way for me to describe this store comes from an interaction I had with the nice associate working there a few weeks ago. It was a crisp late summer day and I strolled into Ghiaia’s new San Marino outpost. Before chatting with owner Davide, a convivial character who probably deserves his own feature, I talked with a well dressed guy who’s name is escaping me. After a few minutes of banter he said something I’ll never forget, “when I go home to my apartment, I wish I was still at work.” What a profound POV on the future of retail: spaces employees actually want to be at.
Despite the clothes at Ghiaia being more aligned with how I see myself dressing in 5-10 years, the feeling you get when you walk in is hard to describe. You enter a world that Davide has built so meticulously—from the custom espresso cups to the signature mannequins, it makes you wonder why more brands don’t follow suit. Because after all, if your employees would rather be at work than at home, your customers might feel the same way too.
The cute bulldog doesn’t hurt either.
A Brand to Know 📡
LoveFrom
Last month Fast Company came out with article detailing a new collaborative partnership between Moncler and Apple design legend Jony Ive’s new company, LoveFrom.
I just find this whole thing so fascinating. After Steve, I credit Jony for being the leading design mind that shaped the Apple we know and love today. What’s interesting is that this project was the first we’ve really heard from Jony in quite a while despite him and his team clearly working on other things.
With an eye roll inducing manifesto about how they reinvented “the button” and a price point that is objectively comical—i’m not really sure who this is for other than weird tech dudes with a penchant for pastelles. But that doesn’t matter because Sir Jony is back and I am simply here for it!
Oh and if you were wondering if those lovely zips and snaps are Riri Zippers and Cobrax Buttons, the answer is duh!
An Account Worth Following 📲
Carlos Bannon
This is how ai should be used. Making beautiful abstract concepts feel familiar and real. I don’t know anything about Carlos other than his account is lit and I’m confident the best is yet to come as technology in this space continues to evolve at a rapid pace.
I love the way he blends nature with man made structures creating an elegant tension that keeps me wanting more.
Unsolicited Feedback 🤷🏻♂️
Zuck x Amiri
A new vertical here at C/D (Unsolicited Feedback) that will show up only when warranted. In this case we find ourselves being utterly perplexed by the recent Zuck fashion statement. In partnership with possibly the least cool fashion designer alive, Mike Amiri, Mark rocked an oversized T-shirt that read “learning through suffering” in Greek letters. Um, suffering from what Mark? Being too chill!?
Then, weeks later showed up in whatever that is below dressed like a dude who saw “oversized shirts are in” on a random TikTok. Look, I’m all for changing up one’s vibe and upping your fashion game but this pretty odd to me. Maybe he needs to learn and suffer a bit more to realize that there are levels to this game. You got this Mark!
Something to Watch 📺
Number One Candidate
Maybe the best music video of all time? A stretch perhaps but when I need a reminder to feel alive, I simply pop this bad boy on. Once again, shoutout Esy on the great find. Enjoy!
until next time ✌️
Linkies: 1 (tapes) 2 (drake’s) 3 (big bite) 4 (white out) 5 (hagel)
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would love to stop by next weekend! Let me know the details! x